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View Full Version : Dog ran through Musa Basjoo


faceyourfaces
06-07-2016, 08:25 PM
On Sunday my dog ran straight through my Musa basjoo, causing a large break in the psuedostem towards the bottom. Although it did not completely detach from the rest of the plant, the top was only held on by a small amount of tissue.

I attempted to remedy the break by using a few sticks as stakes and wrapping a bit of tape around the break to hold the plant upright.

http://i.imgur.com/skzYzxs.jpg http://i.imgur.com/jISGdj7.jpg

Yesterday, on Monday, the plant looked exactly the same as it did on Sunday; there was no growth but no visible damage to any part of the plant besides the break in the pseudostem. But today the leaves are beginning to show damage with the newest one (on the top right in the picture below) drying out significantly.

http://i.imgur.com/kqCTGFh.jpg

I applied fertilizer to the dirt today and also gave it a lot of water. Is there any possibility of the break healing and growth eventually continuing normally?

Tytaylor77
06-07-2016, 08:58 PM
Worse case you can just cut where the break in the Pstem is and it will send a new leaf from there and keep growing.

faceyourfaces
06-07-2016, 09:00 PM
I guess if it doesn't show any signs of recovery soon I'll resort to that. Thanks.

faceyourfaces
06-18-2016, 12:01 PM
I decided not to cut the pseudostem and see how it would recover. The new growth at the top died off and only one leaf remains (barely). I removed the tape and sticks last Saturday (June 11) and pushed the pstem a bit in to see if it has reattached. It did; the plant mended the break and can now support its own weight.

Front view:
http://i.imgur.com/lrW98hC.jpg

Back view:
http://i.imgur.com/hy053gY.jpg

Top view (it is leaning out greatly toward the sun):
http://i.imgur.com/4xJ1Fnd.jpg

It appears that it is pushing out new growth on the side a little above where the break was:
http://i.imgur.com/I520RRj.jpg http://i.imgur.com/pxvD1EW.jpg
(Sorry-out of focus)

Is there anything I should do or should I just leave it be?

sputinc7
06-18-2016, 12:19 PM
It looks like the new growth is coming out the side. I would cut the top off so it grows straight, otherwise it may cause a tipping problem when it fruits. I am not the expert here, though.